Automobile bumper



W. J. GROTENHUIS.

AUTOMOBILE BUMPER.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.24,1'921. 1,41 3,22, ed Apr. 18,1922.

WILLIAM J. GROTEN'I -IUI S, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO BIFLEX PRODUCTS COMPANY, OF WAUKEGAN, ILLINOIS, CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

AUTOMOBILE BUFIVIPER.

T all to 7mm it may concern Be it known that I, WILLIAM J GrRo'rnN-v HUIs, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Chicago, in the county of' Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automobile Bumpers,'-of whicli the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in bumpers, and more particularly to bumpers of the so-called resilient bar type, such as disclosed in Letters Patent No. 1,374,893, granted to \Villiam G. Pancoast and myself on April 12, 1921.

The object of the present invention is to provide an improved or modified construction of the bumper directed more especially to the treatment of the bars forming the bumper structure, whereby a greater degree of rigidity and. stiffnessis afforded, to the end that a greater impact may be received Without injury tothe bumper or the vehicle on which it is mounted. 'lhe novel features will be more readily understood from the detailed description which follows, and in connection with the accompanying drawings which may be briefly described as follows:

- Fig. 1 is atop plan view of the bumper attached to 'a vehicle, v Fig. 2 is a View in front elevation of the bumper,

end portion of the bumper,

Fig. 4 is a detailed view in rear elevation as taken on line 4 4 of Figure .3, 1 Fig. 5 is a detailed view in cross-section taken on line 5-5 of Figure 3,

Fig. 6 is atop plan view showing the use of a collar as amodification of the slot and pin connection between the members, and Fi 7 is a view in vertical section taken on line l7 of Figure 6.

A bumper embodying the features of the present invention, consists ofa structure.

made up of bars of metal having an inher- Ient degree of resiliency, these bars being arranged so as to be yieldable in a horizontal direction, and comparatively nonyi eldable' in a vertical direction. In general, the bumper structure comprises an impact see- I tion, preferably consisting of'a single bar 2 extending throughout the entire length of the' bumper, and provided intermediate its ends with, a centrally disposed offset portion Fig. 3 is an enlarged detailed view of one" Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Apr, 18, 1922, Application filed August 24, 1921. Serial No. 495,019.

3 which forms, together with a short bar 4 having an identical offset portion, a central impact area of increased width. As clearly 'collars 5-5 which clamp the parts together.

The ends of the bar 2 are bent rearwardly and inwardly in U-shape, forming the ends of the bumper structure, and terminating in comparatively short end sections 6-6. Spaced re'arwardly of the front bar 2 is a rear or secondary bar 7 extending parallel thereto throughout its central portion, and inclined forwardly, meeting the ends of the end sections 66 in flatwise contact. The end portions of said bar 7 are curved forwardly and inwardly in the form of substantially semi-circular portions 8 -8 extending from the ends of the end sections 6-6 in a general transverse direction to the front bar 2, the extremities bearing fiatwise, against ends of the ion itudinal frame members 1010 of the veh1cle,'there being employed for this purpose attaching brackets l1--11 adapted to be fixed to the frame members,

and directly connected to the rear bar 7 im- 'mediately adjacent its ends, and inwardly from the free ends of the end sections 6+6 ofthe front bar 2.

Referring to Figure 3, the structure above described is shown in detail. As before suggested; the rear bar 7 has fiatwise contact with the end sections 6-6 at the free ends thereof, and is extended beyond in the semicircular curvedportions 8-8 and fixedto the front bar 2 immediately forward of said free ends. As hereinbefore described, the rear bar 7 and front bar 2 of the impact section are further connected at the points of overlapping or fiatwise contact between the free ends of the end sections 6 -6 and said rear bar 7, adjacent the inner end of the curved portions 8- 8 thereof, and preferably in the following manner: Rivets 12 12 are inserted through the rear bar 7 at the points of connection, these rivets projecting rearwardly and through longitudinal elongated slots 13-,13 formed in the free ends of the end sections 6-6 of the front bar 2. These rivets are formed with a cylindric shank which engages the slot and a head at the outer ends of the shank; thus a secure, yet yieldable connection is made, permitting a clamped to the rear bar 7 and having a reportion 16 extending over and enclosing the free ends of the end sections 66.

.Thus, as before, the bars are retained in flat wise contact, although relative sliding movement therebetween is permitted. A further departure is shown in Figure 6; namely, the use of a single collar 17 which surrounds and clamps the ends of the bars 4 and 7 to the front bar 2, thus eliminating the rivets 9-9 of Figure 3.

Have. described in detail a preferred construction for a bumper, the more imporl at thereof, and the advantages de- W11- the. 1 .rom, will now be considered: The '2 extending parallel to the front or impact bar provides a secondary or reinforcing member therefor. Furthermore, this rear bar has direct connection with the vehicle frame through the medium of the attaching brackets ll-11, and acts in the nature of a brace between these brackets, as well as the supporting member for the impact portion of the bumper. It is to be particularly observed that this rear barterminates short of the ends of the bumper, the ends thereof being bent forwardly and rigidly secured tothe front or impact member of the bumper on either side of the central impact area of increased width, this part of the bumper, including said rear bar and the central impact area, forming in effect a complete structure, quite independent of the end sections of the bumper, and by reason of its comparatively short length and conforma tion of the end portions of the rear bar, forms a very strong, yet resilient frame, giving the maximum protection against blows received.

centrally of the bumper and directed toward the more vital parts of the vehicle. In order to increase the resistance to impacts transmitted throughout this central structure, the

semi-circular end portions 8 8 of the rear bar are preferably stiffened by the foru'iation of a rib and complementary groove extend ing longitudinally between the upper and lower edges of these portions of the bar, as shown at 18 in Figures 4: and 5.

By reason of this construction, it follows that the U-shaped end port-ions of the bumper are, as a matter of fact, lateral extensions of the front bar rather than intermediate sections between the front bar and the rear bar, through which all shocks received by the bumper through the end sec tions are transmitted. On the other hand, impacts received at the ends of the bumper are transmitted partially through the end portions 8-8 of the rear bar 7, and partially absorbed within the V-shaped endportions 6- -6 through the'yieldable connections be- "tween the free ends of said end sections and the rear bar in the form of the so-called pin and slot connection, or its equivalent. Moreover, this yieldable connection functions regardless of the direction in which the ends of the bumper are struck. For instance, the vehicle, in backing up, will often engage an obstruction tending to bend the end sections of the bumper in a forward direction. Clearly, a strain upon a bumper of this charactor will be yieldably resisted in the same manner that an impact delivered against the end sections from the front or side, is resisted. i I Having described the novel features of a bumper embodying the invention, and several of the advantages thereof, What I claim as new and novel is:

l. A bumper comprising an impact bar having U-shaped end portions terminating in free ends, a bar spaced rearwardly of said impact bar, and having its ends-bent forwardly and inwardly, engaging the free ends of said impact bar and connected to the forwardly disposed portion thereof.

2. A bumper comprising an impact bar having its. end portions bent rearwardly and inwardly, a bar spaced rearwardly from said impact bar and extending between and bc yond the free ends thereof, and terminating in U-shapcd end portions engaging said im pact bar, and means for connectingsaid bars adjacent their free ends.

3. A bumper comprising an impact bar having its end portions bent rearwardly and inwardly, a bar spaced rearwardly from said impact bar, and terminating in U-shaped end portions extending forwardly and inwardly, and means for connecting said bars together at their free ends, one of said connections permitting limited endwise movement between said bars.

4. A bumper comprising an impact bar having its ends bent rearwardly and inwardly to form U-shapcd free end portions, a bar spaced rearwardly of said impact bar and having its ends bent in U-shape and having overlapping engagement with said.

having its'end'portions bent rearwardly in U-shape, a bar extending longitudinally behe end portions thereof, said ba'rs being connected together at their respective free ends.

5. A bumper comprising an impact bar bent in U-shape at its ends, a bar spaced rearwardly ofsaid impact bar and having its ends bent forwardly and inwardly,rand fixed at its ends to said impact bar intermediate the ends thereof, and bumper supporting members engaging said rear bar.

6. A bumper comprising "an impact bar tween the free ends of said impact bar, and having overlapping engagement therewith, the end portions of said last mentioned bar being bent toward and connected to said impact bar, and means for yieldably connecting the ends of the impact bar to said last mentioned bar.

7. A bumper comprising an impact bar having its end portions bentrearwardly in U-shape, a bar extending longitudinally between the free ends of said impact barand having its end portions bent forwardly and fixed to said impact bar, said free ends of the impact bar being loosely connected to said last mentioned bar.

8. A. bumper comprising an impact bar' having its ends bent rearwardly and inwardly to form the end portions of the bumper,'a bar spaced rearwardly from said impact bar, and having overlapping epgagement with the free ends thereof, the end portions of said last .mentionedbar beingbent' forwardly and inwardly and fixed to said impact bar, and means for connecting the overlapping portions of said bars, and adapted to permit relative movement therebetween.

' 9. A bumper comprising an impact bar having end portions bent rearwardly and inwardly to form the end portions of the bumper, a. bar spaced rearwardly from said impact bar andhaving its end portions bent forwardly and linwardly in U-shape, and fixed to said impact member inwardly from the ends of the bumper, the free ends of the impact bar having fiatwise contact with said rearbar, and means permitting a limited longitudinal sliding movement between the contacting parts of said bars.

10 A bumper comprising an impactbai having its ends bent rearwardly and. in-

wa'rdly to form the end portions of the/5,5a bumper, a bar spaced rearwardly from said impact bar and having its ends bent for wardly and fixed to said impact member inwardly from the ends of the bumper, the

free ends of the impact bar having flatw1se' I contact \vithrsaid rear bar, and a lon'gitudinal slot and pintconnection therebetween.

11. A bumper comprising an impact bar having its end portions bent rearwardly and inwardly in U-shape, a rear bar extending parallel to said impact bar, and having its end portions bent forwardly and inwardly, the free ends of each bar being connected to the other bar in overlapping engagement therewith, there being provided limited end-- wise movement between said bars at the free end of said impact bar.

12. A bumper comprising an impact bar; having itsend portions bent rearwardly and inwardly in U-sliape, a rear bar extending parallel to said impact bar and having for wardly extending end portions, the free ends of said bars being connected with the other bar short of the ends of thebumpenand one' of the connections being yieldable to permit the longitudinal movement of the free end of the bar there'connectedr 13. A bumper comprising an impact bar v having its end portions bent rearwardl and inwardly, a bar spaced rea'rwardly 0 said impact bar, the end portions thereof being yieldably connected with the ends of said impact bar, and extended forwardly beyond the points of yieldable connection, and connected at its ends to said iinpact bar intermediate the end portions thereof, and clamp..- ing members adapted to engage said rear bar intermediate its end portions for attaching the bumper to a vehicle frame.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 18th day of August, 

